After his team surrendered five home runs in defeat in the second game of a doubleheader on Saturday, coach Robbie Wine and his traditional post-game team meeting had a inner-reflection message.
"He told me to be myself and to be more comfortable," Jordan Steranka said. "He told our whole team after our loss to be more relaxed."
The Penn State baseball team responded with a 16-5 win against Michigan Sunday in Ann Arbor, Mich. The victory means the Nittany Lions take the three-game series, two games to one.
Penn State (17-12, 3-3 Big Ten) pounded out 20 hits in the win, including five doubles and a home run by Steranka.
The weekend series' result was a turnaround from last season, when the Lions lost three of four at home against the Wolverines. Michigan went on to win the conference's regular season and tournament championship.
Two main offensive contributors for Penn State were Steranka and shortstop Louie Picconi. The duo combined for six hits and eight RBI.
The Lions' offensive outburst was aided by three errors from the Wolverines (18-10, 3-3).
One error came in the fifth inning, when the Lions brought nine batters to the plate and scored five runs to take the lead back at 9-5.
Picconi said while the field wasn't in particularly bad shape for fielding, Steranka said one reason for the errors could have been that the players hit the ball hard.
"We have a pretty decent team -- anybody in the lineup can hit," Picconi said. "Everyone's hitting, everyone's having a great time."
Besides an adjustment at the plate, the other difference was the early start time. Originally scheduled for a 1 p.m. start, the game was moved to 10:30 in the morning in anticipation of bad weather Sunday afternoon.
With the time change, Picconi said the players went to bed earlier than usual Saturday night. But come game day, the players still went to the batting cages and got in some extra swings. Picconi said this was a difference from the normal routine, as the usual infield and outfield batting practice rotation changed to an individualized one.
Along with the hot streak at the plate, Penn State also received strong pitching from Paul Cianciolo.
After starter Mike Lorentson struggled with a high pitch count and surrendered three earned runs in four innings, Cianciolo pitched the rest of the game.
He gave up just one run in five innings as he picked up the second win of his career.
"Lorentson threw well but he had some walks," Penn State assistant coach Eric Folmar said. "His pitch count was up. But Paul did a great job and kept his count down."
Besides Sunday's win, the Lions took the weekend's first game, which was a 6-4 win Saturday afternoon. Penn State rallied from a 3-0 deficit and wound up winning in 10 innings.
Sunday's victory ties for the Lions' largest margin of victory this season, but the players remain focused on the games ahead.
"It's huge for our team to get to .500," Picconi said. "Now it's about keeping the confidence going, carry it over this week."
